


A Story Untold

by Boisterous



Category: Guardians of Childhood & Related Fandoms, Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternative Perspective, Angst, Eventual Smut, M/M, Not Beta Read, OOC, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-05-01 04:54:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5193065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boisterous/pseuds/Boisterous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joining the Guardians isn't all there is, it certainly doesn't weight out 300 years of solitude and tranquillity. Who's ally and who's foe? Is there something like frenemyship? How is he supposed to decide and why does he still exist while everyone else fades if belief runs out?<br/>Jack doesn't know any of this but he knows one thing: Lunar won't tell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey :)  
> Just a short notice: After the prologue the story'll continue out of Jack's point of view.  
> Let me know what you think, thanks in advance!

For Pitch Black, humans had never held much of a personal interest, it was the delicious taste of their fear that draw him close to them. Neither their wars nor their culture or what they called art sparked his interest. Looking back on a life longer than the existence of this universe he stranded in, every period of time and every fall of an empire was nothing but a mere blink to him.  
Staring into the starry sky he asked the same unspoken question, knowing he'd never get an answer in response anyways. He turned sharply, inwardly cursing Lunar for his mere existence before merging with the shadows.  
He reappeared in a small village by the name of Burgess, the villagers seemed to hold a festival, haven lit a giant fire, playing music and dancing in it's flickering shine. The nightmare king smirked as he saw a dozen children chasing each other through the crowded space. Soon he'd feast on their fear, he licked his lips in anticipation. Melting into his shadows again he searched for a good hideout, deciding on a group of bushes near to the crowd but well hidden from the fire's shine.  
Disguised by darkness he lurked like a predator, waiting for the children to run nearer.  
A young brown haired girl, barely six or seven years of age was nearest, running straight at him without even looking. She had her head turned to check her pursuers, laughing loudly.  
Pitch was ready to strike, every muscle was strained but just as he wanted to reach for her, blind her with his shadows and make her stumble into the total darkness, a equally brown haired boy jumped in front of his hideout.  
"Booh!"  
The young girl shrieked, but the small amount of fright her brother had put her through disappeared sooner than Pitch could have laved it up.  
"Jack! You scared me.", the girl declared huffing, stemming her tiny hand into her hip.  
The boy, Jack, laughed heartily.  
"You should've seen your face Em. But seriously watch your step.", he pointed behind his back still grinning broadly.  
"Next time it might not be me but the boogeyman who gets you."  
"The boogeyman? Don't be silly Jack that's a story for little children I'm far to old to believe in such nonsense.", she stuck her tongue out at her brother and turned to run back to her friends.  
Jack sighed, rubbing a hand through his messy hair.  
Pitch meanwhile was on the verge of leaving, thinking he'd try his luck elsewhere, when suddenly a luscious flavor filled his mouth, numbing his taste buds for the shortest of moments before hitting with a sweetness almost sinful. He turned sharply on his heel staring at the back of that Jack's head.  
This boys sweet fear was something special, something precious something he only seldom had the luxury to taste. This boy was scared for his sister's well being.  
Such pure and innocent fright, it made Pitch's skin prickle.  
In his ecstatic state, Pitch had gotten careless, he stood upright, his tall build hovering over the bushes, as the boy turned around, staring wide eyed into his eyes, steely luminous gold meeting warm brown.  
Pitch smirked, as a fresh wave of fright washed over him.  
"Booh.", and in the blink of an eye he vanished into the shadows.

~*~

After a week of traveling, Pitch was back in Burgess, he simply craved for more of the boy's delicious fear, wanted to taste it's full flavor once more, see into those wide warm eyes and make those pupils dilate with fright.  
He waited for those children at the same spot as last time and wasn't disappointed.  
The shrieking mass of them turned up within the hour, it seemed like they were running away from something, they squawked and screamed as if chased by something gruesome but neither of them felt fear. Then that something approached, it ran hunched and had something resembling antlers on it's head, but as it drew nearer, Pitch could make out who came running after the children, holding two branches to his head.  
The nightmare king licked his lips in anticipation, as Jack passed him, he made the shadows, which covered him, flicker for the barest of seconds, knowing that he must've caught a glimpse of his face.  
Jack abruptly stopped in his track, turning towards the forest.  
He stared into the darkness, clearly unsure what to do. After shortly looking for the smaller children he turned back.  
"Are you there?", his voice was barely more than a trembling whisper.  
Pitch smirked as he saw the boy swallowing hard but didn't show himself yet, he'd try to get as much of that boys fear as was possible.  
"I've seen you, I'm sure.", Jack looked over his shoulder once again to check if he really couldn't be overheard.  
"You're the boogeyman right?", Jacks voice had become harder know as if he somehow got a boost of courage. His fear also ebbed away slowly, normally reason enough for Pitch to disappear, but he couldn't take his gaze from those determined eyes.  
"If you're here to hurt any of the children, least my sister I'm..", at this point Jack didn't seem to know how to end his dare.  
"Well I'm not afraid of you. Just so you know..."  
"Oh yes you are.", Pitch could barely contain his laughter as Jack flinched a few inches backwards.  
He dove into the shadows to reappear behind the brunette.  
"You should be Jack.", as Jack had spun around, Pitch had once again vanished.

~*~

A few weeks had passed since Pitch had last approached the boy, he hadn't been able to refrain from watching him however, sometimes sending chills down his back or making a shadow flicker dramatically in the corner of his eye. It was fun scaring that boy after all, as he was such a wonderfully willing victim.  
This night, Pitch had decided to make another approach, he was bored anyways.  
It had been easy to locate the house Jack's family was residing in, he waited under the cover of darkness until every light in that house had been distinguished, before he entered it, using his shadows to transport him inside.  
It was an easy thing to find his way into Jack's bedroom, the boy was already fast asleep.  
Smirking, Pitch stepped nearer to the bed, his shadows were already seeping from his hands, aching to taint Jack's dreams.  
"Let's see what we've got here", he mused to himself as he was bending over the peacefully sleeping figure.  
Tenderly he touched Jack's temple, seeking entrance into the innocent mind he was about to corrupt.  
"What are you doing in the forest all alone Jack, meeting a girl perh-", Pitch jerked his hand away in shock, cutting the connection instantly.  
Why had he seen himself in that boys dreams?  
"You're back", a sleepy mumble tore him out of his thoughts.  
He looked down to be met with a crooked smile.  
Pitch was silent while Jack sat up, rubbing his heavy eyelids, he simple didn't know how to react to this, no one had ever felt this, seeing him.  
"I hoped to see you again soon, it's been a while, though I knew you were there.", the youth told him, still smiling.  
"Why?", Pitch demanded to know, not even bothering to hide his confusion.  
"It's easy to feel your presence, even though I seem to be the o-"  
"Not that, why did you wait for my return? You should fear it instead, dread it even not see forward to it.", Pitch snarled.  
"Why though?", Jack asked in return but continued fastly as he saw the exasperated expression on the others face.  
"Yeah I get the whole I'm the boogeyman thing but I don't think you're actually that bad I mean", he sat up straighter, so he wouldn't have to strain his neck as much, looking Pitch into the eyes, "I gave it much thought and I came to the conclusion that you need to scare people for their own sake..or something. I mean Em for example, you know my sister, if you hadn't waited for her in those bushes, back then, she might have run into the forest and gotten lost in the dark.", Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "So I guessed that's just what you do and that's good, right? And if what you do isn't bad you probably aren't either.", Jack finished his rather long and rambled explanation.  
Pitch didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, he just stared into those brown orbs, which displayed the unspoken plea of 'please tell me I'm right' so openly.  
Pitch stared at Jack for a rather long time, not breaking the silence that hung heavily in the air.  
"You're not afraid of me?"  
Jack shook his head.  
"But you can see me."  
Jack nodded, in a awkwardly confused way.  
"Why shouldn't I see you?"  
Pitch waved it off, "The night's to short to explain."  
He looked over his shoulder out into the sky, a cloud just gave away making room for the full moon.  
Pitch sneered at it, then turned back to Jack.  
"As it just turned out, if got an important meeting to attend so I'll take my leave now."  
Without giving Jack time to respond, he melted with his shadows and went off.

~*~

For a couple of months Pitch returned to Jack's room every night, after merely a few days of silence and wide smiles, Pitch started filling the silence with stories about the world of spirits at first, stories about his purpose and existence and finally stories about himself, about his origin, his former family and friends.  
Jack rarely disrupted him, being to interested in what he told him.  
He smiled warmly as Pitch told him his name, not his title but something personal, he hugged Kozmotis as he told him about his past, about his daughter and about the tragedy that had happened at that godforsaken place.  
After that they started meeting in the forest.  
Koz had seen the world and knew every secret and wonderful place it held, Jack's favorite by far had been the big lake deep in the woods, they spend hours there sitting either on the waterfront or on the old gnarly tree just talking or simply enjoying the silence.  
Jack got into the habit of laying his head onto Koz's shoulder while the sat in silence, Koz had yet to deny him this little gesture.  
One night late in December Jack sat at the frozen lake waiting for Koz, happily watching his breath forming little clouds in the cold air.  
"We can meet somewhere else if you're cold Jack.", Koz had appeared without any notice, carefully he took a seat next to Jack on the slippery branch, reaching farthest over the lake.  
"I kinda like the cold", Jack explained, leaning into Koz's side.  
"I've always liked winter most and now I've got another reason to."  
"And what would that be?", Koz asked, while absentmindedly fondling a strand of brown hair.  
Jack turned his head slightly to see the others face more clearly, his cheeks were tinged pink, not only from cold, as he smiled shyly.  
"The nights are growing longer now."  
That night had been the night Koz had first kissed Jack.

~*~

If Kozmotis were asked, he'd say the following weeks had been the happiest of his long existence.  
But one day everything changed.  
Kozmotis appeared at the lake just at the verge of nightfall, just in time to see Jack, the mortal that changed his immortal life, break through the icy surface.  
"NOOOOO!!!", he hurried over, ignoring the shrieking girl, that ran off, to fetch help probably.  
He kneeled at the dark whole, the place where his Jack had stood moment before, if he'd come a few seconds early he could have rescued him, now he was gone.  
He smashed his fists against the ice until they were swollen and bloody.  
He stared into the hole, seeing nothing but black water.  
He hated it the cold that had frozen the sea, the dark that had concealed the cracks in the ice to Jack and his sister, himself for not being able to help, the world for letting it's kindest and most beautiful citizen vanish so simply, Lunar for his immortality.  
That night had been the night Pitch Black had cried for the first time since becoming the boogeyman, that night had been the night he had to accept he'd never be able to tell Jack how much he loved him.  
That night had been the night that the king of darkness had risen and with him his reign of terror that had brought the dark ages upon the world. 


	2. Chapter 1

Darkness was all he could see until something broke and a small beam of silvery light hit his face.  
He was to weak to care for his surroundings or condition, he knew something must have happened, he tried to remember but as hard as he tried, he couldn't recall any memories, not even his name.  
He hadn't noticed that he was floating towards the waters surface while thinking, until he broke through it, suddenly everything happened at once.  
He wrenched and coughed up huge amounts of water, while his lungs simultaneously screamed for air. His stomach cramped as he tried to pull himself onto the icy surface with jittery arms.  
He spat but couldn't get rid of that foul taste on his furred tongue.  
As he looked up at the full moon, he could hear a clear voice inside his head.  
“Welcome back Jack Frost”, Jack was certain it had been the moon telling him this, he tried to get more answers to all of his questions but after this the moon had taken on a steely determination to stay silent.  
Soon after that Jack had found out a few things about himself some were good, quite fun even, others were horrible, to say the least.  
For what he knew he was dead even though he breathed and had somewhat of a physical appearance, humans could neither speak to him nor see or feel him. Having someone run through you was the most terrible sensation there is. On the other hand he had somehow got powers with becoming a spirit, with the help of his frozen, crooked staff he was able to make snow and ice and even manipulate the wind to carry him wherever he wanted it to.  
Still his existence was determined by lonesomeness.  
For a few years, Jack had believed to be the only one, that was until he had visited the village next to his forest and had seen beautiful golden sand enlightening the night.  
But sand didn't talk, he had yelled himself hoarse but his please for someone to talk to him where left unanswered. After all it seemed like whatever there was besides humans couldn't see him either.  
Jack took his leave, he let himself been carried by the wind to a place no human would ever be able to enter, to never again be reminded of what he couldn't have.  
Years went by while Jack did nothing much but trying out his powers, defining the finer aspects of it and building himself a home, but it grew tiresome and after two centuries give or take, he went back to Burgess, back to his lake, back to what little of a live he'd had there.

~*~

Jack had kinda taken a liking to the children of Burgess, he often stayed in their rooms while their parents read goodnight stories to their offspring.  
That's how Jack had learned about the origin of that golden sand he'd first seen so many ages ago and the sandman wasn't the only creature like him out there.  
And that's also how it happened that Jack started seeking out the other spirits, whenever he wasn't favoring Burgess's kids with snowball fights or neck-breaking sleigh rides, he would linger at the north pole trying to pass the Yetis to get into North's workshop, or trying to find an entrance to Bunnymund's underground springflower covered happy go lucky world.  
Usually he got his ass handed to him but at least he knew now that he wasn't invisible, not to the whole world, he also knew now that no one cared about him, he simply didn't matter to them.  
His rage about this ended with a devastating blizzard ruining Easter, even though he was sorry for the kids he still had been pleased as he saw bunnies long face, the anger when he'd counted one and one together and his name being shouted as he was chased through the better part of Europe.  
That's when Jack had realized that the only way to get attention was causing mischief.

~*~

It's been over four decades since Jack had first approached the other spirits, those known as the Guardians may still don't acknowledge him for his powers or simply for his existence but at least they made contact every now and again, mostly after Jack had pulled some trick on them.  
It was more than Jack had ever hoped to gain 300 years back, but it should change.  
Once again the moon tried to take away his life and throw him into a new one but this time Jack wouldn't give up that easily he won't have his way decided for him, not again.  
So when the sack, the Yetis had captured him in finally opened, he quickly got into a defensive stance, raising his staff. He glared at the four spirits standing in front of him.  
“What do you want from me?”, he hissed like an angry cat.  
North was the first to move, extending his arms and laughing boomingly.  
“What we want? Haha! We bring you here to become a Guardian!”  
He clapped his giant hands, still booming and calling for music, which his idiotic elves provided. Some carried a pillow to Jack, trying to present him with the ugliest shoes he's seen in his existence.  
Jack couldn't even think about something to say, couldn't put his thoughts into a coherent sentence also due to the slight headache that slowly build behind his forehead. He slammed his staff onto the ground, sending a blast of ice simply everywhere, loudly yelling “STOOOOOP!”.  
Huffing he glared at North.  
“What makes you believe I wanna join your club?”, he asked through gritted teeth.  
Bunnymund made for a start but Jack cut him off.  
“After 300 years of not even acknowledging my existence, you kidnap me and bring me here to tell me this bullshit, you don't give a shit about my opinion, believe me to just happily join without any complains but that's not what's gonna happen!”, the ground around his feet was frozen, little icy stalagmites grew around the edges.  
Toothiana carefully approached him.  
“Jack the man in the moon choose you as a Guardian you should be proud.”  
“Well I'm not! I don't care what he decides he did enough already if he had any honor he'd simply leave me be!”, Jack spat.  
Sandy forward, crossing his arms, his face showed clear dismay, symbols were flashing over his head nearly to fast for Jack to follow.  
“So some evil mastermind with spiky hair tries to maim the children and if I help you I can go my own way again?”, he slowly asked. The other three looked at them in astonishment. Bunny was the first to voice their thoughts. “You understood him? Well that's kinda freaky mate...”, he stroke his big ears back, which popped back up instantly.  
“So you in or what?”  
Jack scowled, while he looked from one hopeful face to the other.  
“For the children's sake.”, he said coldly, finally lowering his staff.  
North once again laughed his annoyingly loud laugh.  
“So that's setteled then!”, he slung an arm around Jack's neck pulling him after himself.  
“Come with me Frost there's something I want to show you!”, he dragged him out of the room, through the workshop, Jack felt like he could do with another four pairs of eyes to not miss any of the wondrous things that happened there. Finally he pushed him inside his private workshop, closing the door behind himself.  
“Who are you Jack Frost?”, he asked in a creepingly Russian way Jack hadn't expected from the guy who was nice enough to employ somewhat dumb elves who most of the time only destroy whatever he makes, he gulped.  
“Umm...well Jack Frost...as you just said?”  
“No I mean what's your core, what's in your heart that makes you special enough for Mim to choose you?”  
Jack scowled again.  
“I don't know why he did that and I don't care either.”, he crossed his arms looking North sternly in the eye.  
The older Guardian sighed.  
“Jack every Guardi-”  
“I'm not-”  
“Hear me out first.”, North scoffed back, pointing at his right arm.  
“You don't want to be back on the naughty list right? After all you held the record. But nevermind.”, North pulled a matryoshka doll from a shelf, holding it out for Jack and explaining about a Guardians core, silently Jack wondered if he had one at all.

~*~

Thanks to North's sleigh it had only taken a few minutes until the Guardians plus one arrived at the Toothpalace, Jack silently took in it's magnificence, while following the others.  
“I never really got why you collect the teeth anyways.”, Jack admitted as they entered the main hall.  
Toothiana seemed nervous, but smiled at him.  
“It's part of their childhood Jack.”, she simply answered, just then a dark sinister voice filled the room.  
“The Guardians it's been a while but I'd lie if I said it's a pleasure to meet you again. What brought you here all together? Must be something serious if the big four neglect their work to team up. Wait could it be because your little minions all vanished suddenly?”, the following laugh sent shivers down Jacks spine, oddly they weren't of the bad sort.  
“Give back my fairies Pitch!”, Tooth screamed, puffing her crest up aggressively.  
“Let me think about it..NO!”, a massive wall of black sand build up on one of the huge pillars not far from them, as it fell, raining down on them like ash, it revealed a tall, slim, gray skinned man, smiling deviously.  
“Recognize it Sandman? Took me a while to figure out your little trick but it worked.”, he sneered arrogantly down at them.  
Sandy rubbed the black sand between his fingers, staring at it in horror. As he looked up again, Jack didn't recognize the tiny man, the wrath that showed in his face and the fast reflexes he suddenly showed as he swung a gigantic whip at Pitch. He however simply dodged it, firing long needles out of corrupted sand from his hands, suddenly he had vanished. Jack turned around, his staff raised to attack if necessary.  
Pitch rematerialized right behind him, his hands raised to attack, black sand hovering around him like dark mist.  
As blue met gold, the sand fell to the ground. Pitch lowered his arms, simply staring at Jack in disbelief.  
“Jack?”, it was a mere whisper, not loud enough for anyone but Jack to hear, but he had heard it. Before he could react however, something flew past his head, missing his target as Pitch had vanished. 


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry it took me so long.  
> I was at my parent's home for my birthday, so I couldn't write it earlier. I'm also kinda disappointed with this one but I won't have the time to redo it, 'cause of work, eight people are currently missing 'cause of illness.  
> Just one more thing: Thanks so much for even reading this, I've been so afraid that no one would actually show interest for this.  
> So without further ado, I'll leave you to the next chapter.

Jack still stared at the point where the nightmare king stood moments ago, not able to let go of those expressions of hate and unbelievable hurt, those eyes that seemed to be screaming at him.  
“What was that”, he whispered.  
A heavy hand was placed on his shoulder.  
“That was Pitch Black, he's the reason we need your help.”, North told him. “But why did he come here? What did he kidnap the fairies for?”, Jack was confused he didn't understand how all this fit together.  
“They're not the only ones he took, Pitch also stole the teeth Jack.”, Tooth explained but was interrupted by Aster. “He declared war mate and now it's also your concern kiddo.”, he stamped his great paws on the ground, trying to relieve some of his anger.  
“How's steeling some teeth a declaration of war and why should that make it my concern kangaroo?”, Jack snapped, turning around to scowl at Aster.  
His first question was answered in a instant however, as tremors arose and one of the huge pillars started cracking.  
Tooth's crest lay close to her head as she watched her home crack with the wide eyes of a scared animal.  
“They are already losing believe”, she whispered hoarsely.  
“Wait what? Someone tell me what's happening!”, Jack demanded, flinching slightly as something huge somewhere fell to the ground, making the floor vibrate heavily.  
The others all turned on him with mixed expressions.  
“Jack if the children stop believing we'll die, it's a spirits fate, we'll only exist as long as we're needed.”  
Jack closed his mouth, frowning. “Why the teeth though?”, he murmured but once again didn't get an answer as another giant piece of something, really he couldn't name it while it was still standing how should he identify it broken, feel down close to North's sleigh.  
They decided to go back to the Northpole and would then decide what to do.

~*~

They may have prevented Tooth from losing all believers by acting as stand-in fairies, but in Jacks opinion they only stole themselves a bit of time.  
“We can't do this every night, what about Sandy? He's got his own duties and I guess with the Nightmare King growing stronger and everything he's the one needed most right now.”, he insisted.  
“Just you wait snowflake-”, Jack turned sharply on Aster. “Don't call me that it's- just don't.”, somehow Jack had known the moment he'd heard that nick that it was special and nothing anyone should be allowed to wear out.  
Aster held up his front paws in defense. “Alright mate, I just wanted to remind you guys, that it's Easter the day after tomorrow and I need all the help I can get to make it the best that's even been celebrated, so who's with me?”, he looked around like he wanted to challenge them to a fight.  
“Okay let's do that then.”, Jack announced audibly holding back on the enthusiasm.  
Aster brought them to his Warren, using his tunnels, which worked like slides and where actually fun, even if Jack would never tell him so. He took a look around, freezing a few legged eggs, stopping them mid-motion. The others called for him and he let the wind carry him over, landing on one of the huge stone eggs, squatting down. Aster was explaining something about the complexity of choosing the right colors and patterns for each egg but Jack was only listening with half an ear, in his opinion Aster didn't need their help after all 'cause the eggs where jumping into the dye river out of their own will, but he didn't mention this. Also something else had caught his attention, something was rustling inside one of the many caves, he didn't know however if it simply were more eggs or something equally Easter-ish. A few moments passed before Jack had to ask, after all it could as well be one of Pitch's minions hiding in the shadows.  
“Has anyone else noticed those noises over there?”, he asked, pointing in the vague direction. Four sets of eyes were staring at him, then turned to watch the cave opening, slowly reaching for their weapons. Jack hopped down from where he had taken a seat, also not averting his gaze. Suddenly something shot from the cave, running straight at them.  
“Sophie?”, Jack looked around the others waiting for someone to handle the situation..

~*~

Sophie was safely back inside her parent's home, Jack had made sure of that himself. He stayed inside her room for a while, watching that cute girl sleep soundly. He leaned on the wall far off from her bed, looking out of the window, remembering the conversation with Aster a few hours earlier. He didn't even know why he reacted the way he did. He had no one, who could have used that word as a nickname towards him, actually since the moon had made him exist, he'd had no one to talk to at all. A sudden pain stroke through his head, making Jack flinch and reach for his forehead.  
 _“It is a ludicrous coincidence. You favour the cold season particularly snow. Your surname is Frost, like those sparkling crystals, that cling to your hair whenever you sit outside for hours on end. Are you aware that every snowflake is unique? You will never find two identical ones. You are one of a kind too. You are my snowflake Jack, my matchless, pure crystal of ice, not intended for eternity but captivating in it's gorgeousness while it lasts.”_  
Jack had sunken to the ground, clutching his hair and breathing heavily. What had that been? Where did this piece of memory come from? He couldn't remember ever having this kind of conversation. That voice..this calm deep voice, which still echoed inside his head..where had he heard it before?  
He scrambled to his feed, he had to get out now. He needed fresh air, he needed to breath freely to go..somewhere. He opened the window and jumped out into the dark.  
He ended up at his lake, sitting high up in his tree, he stared into the air.  
“I knew I would find you here.”  
Jack hastily turned around, gripping his staff tightly. He jumped from the tree, looking for the source of the voice.  
“Who's there? Show yourself!”, he demanded, turning on his spot to watch his surroundings.  
“It was you who didn't show himself. Why did you wait all those centuries?”  
Jack turned around, staring into silvery golden eyes.  
“Pitch!”, he growled.  
The other looked taken aback for the shortest moment, bu caught himself rather quick, returning to his blank stare.  
“Why Jack?”  
Jack shook his head, the headache was slowly returning and it was the one thing he couldn't use right now, fainting or collapsing in front of the foe fell right into the category 'just don't'.  
“I don't even know what you mean”, he answered through clenched teeth.  
“Why did you choose them?!”, Pitch yelled at him. Jack was confused to say the least, in his disarray, he even lowered his staff.  
“I really don't know what you are talking about. If this is meant to be some kind of distraction I'll-”  
“You joined the Guardians! Lunar's little obedient soldiers, those who were sent after me after you...were gone. I've mourned for ten centuries and you just go and join my greatest enemy to destroy me!”  
The pain rose higher, while Pitch screamed those accusations at him, Jack saw white points dancing before his eyes.  
“I-I don't know. I didn't join the guardians, I don't work for the man in the moon and I'm not the one you're looking for. I don't even exist that long, it's been 300 years since the moon abandoned me, since I discovered that humans can't see me and the other spirits don't want to see me! I'm not mixing into any lovers quarrel you and Lunar might have going on, I'm only here 'cause you harmed the children of **my** village!”, Jack screamed, trying to out tune the tinnitus inside his head.  
Pitch's face fell and this time he didn't regain his normal expression.  
“I understand now, as will you Jackson Overland Frost.”, and once again Pitch was gone. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the really long break. I had to face some serious stuff, gone through heavy times and so on but I'm back.  
> I'll exchange this sorry excuse with a new chapter within this week, I kinda have to get back into the story first.  
> I'm also starting another project, something I hold dearly 'cause I have many fond memories tied to it, so if any of you guys are into Final Fantasy VIII Seifer/Squall, I'd be happy to see you there as well.
> 
> * * *

Chapter 3

“What happened between you and Pitch ten centuries ago?”, the icy wind that had brought him through the window didn't cut as deep as his frigid voice did.  
The startled Guardians quickly regained some space from one another, which made it quite obvious they had been discussing something or rather someone, just then.  
“What do you mean Jack?”, North asked, looking him up and down out of wide, worried cerulean eyes, Sandy, however, averted his gaze guiltily.  
“Don't try messing with me! Tell me everything right now or I'll butt out!”, he growled, swinging his staff aggressively.  
“Jack calm down please...”, Tooth tried, her breath condensing into little clouds as she spoke, she had to hold onto Aster to keep standing.  
“Don't tell me what to do!”, Jack yelled, frost was slowly creeping up on every surface.  
“You're using me for some shenanigans of yours, pushing me around like a pawn but not any longer I should never have mixed into your business!”  
“Mate direct your anger at Pitch, he's the one-”  
“The one who you're waging a millennia old war against! A war you dragged me into and left me fighting for reasons I don't even understand nor do I know which side would be the right one.”, Jack's voice had calmed down to a somber tone, nothing seemed to move, the water from the surrounding air had frozen to minuscule crystals, creating a sphere around Jack.  
His temple puckered with migraine, his sight was blurred by overly bright light that seemed to have no set origin, a voice kept reciting something he could not quite make out in the back of his mind. He turned to leave just as he felt a someone pulling on his sleeve.  
He looked down to see Sandy's sorry expression. Pictures started flashing above the former star captain's head, playing together in something resembling the stop-motion of a flicker book.  
He felt like falling, his headache got even worse as he grasped just what Sandy had just told him, he hold onto his staff with jittery hands, his eyes flickered around, settling on everything and nothing.  
“I have a past...”

~*~

Jack did not remember how he had made it back to his tree, the wind must have played a major role in it though. He sat high up on one of the sturdy branches, his hooded head leant against the frosted trunk, cooling his face and calming the pain behind his closed eyes.  
A sigh escaped from his chapped lips.  
So he had a past huh? A past he could not remember. Did he even want to remember? Would not knowing what he had lost make his existence even more desolate.  
“But who is Jackson Overland?”, he whispered, gingerly opening his eyes, blinking away the snow that clung to his lashes.  
“He would be someone I used to know.”, came the soft reply from right beside him.  
Jack didn't twitch, he smiled tiredly instead, not even knowing why he did so.  
“Do you want me to fight, too? I'm not siding with anyone Pitch.”  
“I would not want you to, not in that terrible state you are currently going through. Certainly not against your will either.”  
Jack huffed a small laugh at that.  
“How thoughtful of the nightmare king.”, he joked. He turned his head, taking in the older spirit's profile.  
“Why are you fighting the Guardians?”, he had not even thought about this question before asking it, though the answer had him interested nonetheless.  
A shadow seemed to flit across his face, maybe it had been mere imagination though, Jack thought to himself, with the other being the Boogeyman his mind had to expect shadows and tricks of light.  
“It is a long story of erstwhile love, tragedy and betrayal ultimately evolving into madness.”, the melancholy underlining Pitch's baritone voice made Jack's hair stand on edge.  
“I've got eternity, what about you?”  
Pitch nodded solemnly.  
“I will tell you the tale of the Nightmare King's spouse, the most beautiful and graceful creature to have ever set foot into this godforsaken world. But to do that I will have to go back much further, back to the birth of Pitch Black.”

~*~

Silent tears were running down Jack's face, freezing before they could drop.  
“It is time to take my leave.”, Pitch rose from the branch with a grace only a being old as time could posses, stepping into thin air, trusting his black sand to create ground at his will.  
He knelled down on one knee in front of Jack, taking his hand into his own.  
“Fare thee well my princeling.”, a pressed the chastest of kisses onto the back of Jack's hand, the moment he vanished, leaving Jack behind, confused, feeling like a lost child.  
He only noticed then, as he stared at his hand, that his headache had been gone all along. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short I know but I'll try and update at least three times a week until this is finally finished.  
> Also let me know if I should write out what Pitch is telling Jack or if you'd rather collect that info through the next events.  
> Thanks for reading!  
> \- Bye ♥


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